Latest fashion trend has students sporting designer clothing

Streetwear is the fashion cultural development of skateboard, surf, hip hop and retro 80s and 90s trends. Juniors Nick Collier and Clifford Roe believe the clothing style is an art form and that the clothes he wears make a statement.

Collier is passionate about the streetwear culture. The aesthetic surrounding it is what drives him to invest in higher quality brands. Collier takes the initiative to be a beacon of clothing culture by expressing himself amongst the masses. He finds buying streetwear and high end merchandise to be a valuable hobby.

“Painting can be somebody’s hobby and painting supplies can be very expensive,” Collier said. “That in my sense is that I can spend that money on clothing, so I can express myself in a way no one else can.”

Collier says streetwear is the bridge between high and low tier fashion. Raf Simons, Rick Owens, and St. Laurent Paris are designer brands that are considered to be father-like to the streetwear era because of their high-end influence over smaller brands.

“People are trying to be someone,” Collier said. “You can wear something fashionable, and it’ll make you stand out in a crowd.”

A generation of subcultures categorized under one casual clothing style is what makes the gashes in jeans and paint splatter on designer jackets so appealing to streetwear fanatics. Clifford Roe says that the fashion industry has had heavy influences from music all the way to sports and various other activities.

“A lot of what we have now is based on the past,” Roe said.“People were getting experimental because of the music and the media culture around it. These days bombers and military inspired clothing because of the trends in Japan where clothing was not only fashionable but also utilitarian.”

Roe said there are people who represent a brand, and they wear the clothes because they think that brand represents that culture whether it be skate, surf, or aesthetic clothing, and there are people who do it for their status.

“I wear everything for internal satisfaction,” Roe said. “Some wear this stuff to impress others, and I feel like you should wear what you want to make you happy, not because it’s going to make everyone else like you.”

The beauty of streetwear lies in its availability. It can be any combination of flannels, distressed wear, and designer branding. Although streetwear is the pinnacle of style for the younger generation, older people generally tend to stereotype people who wear streetwear inspired clothing.

Senior Kayla Blumberg believes that even the stereotypes are not able to separate people from fashion.

“They are not able to separate styles and personalities,” Blumberg said. “People kind of just mash them together.”